Entwined Destinies
by Sano
Summary: What if Sanzo and Hakkai met before as children, when they were still named Koryu and Gono? Hints of Shounen ai


Entwined destinies

By: Sano

Disclaimer: Saiyuki belongs to Kazuya Minekura. Not me.

Note: After buying a wall scroll of Sanzo, Hakkai, Goku and Gojyo together, shirtless and positively drool-worthy. I just can't help but write a fic. This is AU by the way; I just wanted to experiment a little, especially after reading so much YYH fics with this kind of plot. Saa, I hope it will be bearable for you guys. Enjoy the fic!

Warnings: Spoilers for Sanzo and Hakkai's pasts.

*^^*

12-year old Cho Gono looked around in excitement at the bustling people around their family, his big green eyes almost bursting with curiosity. He tugged on the sleeve of his father's tunic. "Ne, Otousan…where are we going?" He asked.

His father looked down at him, the identical green eyes bearing so much mirth. "Well, we're going to visit a temple." He answered, reaching down and ruffling his son's brown hair. "And I expect you and your sister to be on your best behavior today." He said, turning his gaze on Gono's older sister.

"Hai, Otousan! You can trust me, but I don't know about Gono…" Kanan said, looking over at her little brother from the other side of their father. Kanan, who was only older than her brother by three years, seemed to like having the authority of being the older sibling, more so in taking care of her brother and bossing him around.

"I'll be good!" Gono protested, throwing a glare at Kanan from behind their father's back. He tugged on his sleeve again persistently. "You can trust me right?" He never liked it whenever his Oneesan showed off how responsible she could be. He could take on as much responsibility with only one finger!

His father smiled down at him, the corner of his green eyes crinkling. "Of course you can Gono. I'll expect that." Looking down at his children, he couldn't help but smile at his fortune for having them. He looked up at the clear blue sky. That was his wife's home now. The heavens she loved so much. She died giving birth to their little Gono. He could remember her last words like it happened yesterday, telling him to take care of their children.

Looking down at his hands, each held by his two children, and a smile curved his lips.

*^^*

Although he was the youngest disciple of Komyo Sanzo in the temple, Koryu knew more than his thirteen years of age would warrant. His sharp tongue and quick-witted mind was what got him into fights with other disciples in the temple.

Today was no different. Koryu ignored the pain that was radiating from his left leg where a disciple, Anji, who was older than him by a year kicked him earlier. Of course brave as he was, kicked back. He aimed a little differently though; he kicked Anji right where no man wanted to be kicked, that is if he didn't want to have children.

A smirk crossed his lips as he replayed the moment in his mind, the older disciple screaming in pain and cursing him to hell, all the while clutching at his rather…unfortunate…organ. It was enough to keep him company while the head monk droned on and on about his incredibly boring lecture on etiquette and respecting elders, simultaneously giving him punishment. The punishment consisted of cleaning the prayer hall this afternoon and helping the maids in the kitchen to wash the dishes after dinner.

As much as the old geezer annoyed him, cleaning the prayer hall alone wasn't so bad. Besides, he always liked being alone. The peace around him, despite the dust wafting on his nose and making him sneeze every second, gave him a sense of the reality that he was all alone, it gave him time to think of how much he hated his real parents for leaving him, going as far as to let him float around a river until someone managed to see him.

"They probably think I was going to die." He muttered angrily while wiping an antique vase. Komyo Sanzo was the one who found him, and Koryu couldn't have asked for any other person to adopt him. Komyo Sanzo was the one who filled in the roles of what his parents should be doing.

"I don't know what you're talking about Koryu, but whatever it is, I think they do. Whoever they were."

Koryu dropped the rag he had been using to wipe the prayer scroll on the floor and immediately, the dust from it rose into the air and clung to his face, clothes and hair. He sneezed and waved his arms in front of his face, trying to keep the dust away but his efforts were in vain.

Komyo Sanzo entered the temple, chuckling to himself while trying not to look like he was, and doing a very poor job of it. Koryu frowned and picked up the rag from the floor. "What's so funny, Sanzo-sama?" He continued wiping the dust off the other prayer beads surrounding a statue of the Buddha in the middle of the room.

"Not much. I was just thinking about how energetic you were when you were just 5 – never did a day pass by without hearing complaints from other disciples on how ill mannered you were. Of course that still happens until now." Komyo chuckled again, ignoring the glare directed at him.

The blonde teen couldn't help but smile a little as he faced his master. "What did they think my attitude would be, sweet and polite? Ch', people are so dumb. Except you of course, master." His master was by far the nicest person he ever met.

"I still don't understand why you brought a kid like me to the temple. You could've helped other people who really needed it." Koryu said, avoiding any eye contact with his master. 

"You're telling me that I shouldn't have helped you even when you were drifting in the water, clinging to life by a wicker basket?" Komyo told him, his eyes lighting up with amusement.

Koryu was silent. True, he desperately needed help when he was almost drowning in the river when his master found him when he was a baby. "Demo…" He started.

But his master beat him to it. "I heard your voice. You were calling me. Though it was unspoken, I heard it clearly." Komyo told him and left his disciple in the prayer room to his thoughts.

*^^*

"Otousan! Oneesan!" Gono called out, rounding a corner in the temple hallway. He had gotten separated from his sister and father while they were lighting incense in the prayer room and he didn't know where he was now. He was beginning to feel the fear that was creeping up behind him; every sound that was unfamiliar to him drove him to the edge of his courage.

He tried to retrace his steps but the attempt was futile, and it seemed to have gotten him more lost. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his fists. The Cho family has gone on a long journey to arrive at this temple and he was very drained, he almost wanted to curl up in a ball and take a nap right then and there. 

But rumors always went around town, telling of wild animals living in the forest surrounding the temple that Gono was presently in. His father had told him and his older sister this, but still they persisted to come, they knew that their father would protect them from any harm.

He called out for his father and sister again, his voice echoing off the wooden temple walls. He felt cold, and the hairs on the back on his neck rose. Someone was watching him, and it scared him.

His eyes scanned the empty hallway. There! He caught sight of a pair of amethyst orbs staring at him and he ran to it. The stranger's eyes widened and ran. "Matte!" Gono shouted and chased after the stranger.

He saw that the stranger had glorious blonde hair as bright as the sun before he – or she, he wasn't sure if it was a boy or a girl - disappeared into another room. "I said wait!" Gono shouted as he reached the door. He pounded on it, determined to talk to the mysterious stranger. 

Gono stubbornly continued his forceful knocks. There was something about that stranger…something about the stranger's eyes that made him want to race after those beautiful jewels…in the back of his mind he felt that they had met before…

Finally admitting defeat, he sank down to the floor and hugged his knees to him. He let the tears of frustration that he had been holding flow down his cheeks.

Gono fell asleep, exhaustion finally taking over him, and he slumped against the door, not even noticing the shadow looming over him.

*^^*

Koryu splashed cold water onto his face. He was incredibly dirty from dusting the prayer hall and from following that brown-haired boy. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about the teen that drew Koryu to him.

Using a towel to dry his face, he looked himself in the mirror. He focused on his reflection, especially on his eyes. He had always noticed how deep his eyes were, they were not the eyes of a child. No, those wine-colored eyes held so much secrets and knowledge in them. Much more than a teenager should possess.

When Koryu had watched the brown-haired boy, there was something about him…in the back of his mind he could feel that they had shared a deep bond before…a bond that can never be shattered even by death…

And his eyes…his eyes, they were painted a beautiful jade color, even more brilliant than any jewel. Looking into them would make you think of a forest full of trees. You could almost smell the scent of pine trees blowing in the breeze.

Koryu felt that somewhere in the past…he had drowned in those emerald pools before…

A scream pierced the air and Koryu jumped up with a start. Without thinking, he ran out the room. He just ran after that voice, and he had the suspicion that the voice belonged to the boy that he had been watching earlier.

He forced his legs faster, the boy's screams grew louder with each passing second, and it meant that he was getting closer. The green eyes that haunted him swam in front of his eyes, and his heart was gripped with a sense of fear.

He finally reached the brunette; he was cowering in fear while a big bear – probably from the forest that surrounded the temple - was towering over him, menacing fangs bared and ready to swipe at the latter with its paws. 

The blonde teen pushed him away before he could get hurt. He was crying and Koryu wrapped his arms around him protectively, almost predatory. He looked up and stared at the bear straight in the eye. And he started to speak. "Leave, now! Your food isn't here; your food is in the forest. Leave! [1] " Koryu demanded, the sobbing boy in his arms was silent, except for a few sniffles, ears open to any trace of sound from the wild animal in front of them.

The bear looked into Koryu's eyes, and it feared the determination in there. A mute understanding seemed to be exchanged between the two and the bear left, leaving Koryu to deal with the shaking boy in his arms.

Koryu stroked his hair, and it felt incredibly soft to touch. He had the sudden urge to bury his nose in them and smell the pine scent that clung to it. But before he had the chance, a voice called out.

"Gono! Gono!"

Koryu extracted broke away from the protective embrace and moved away from the boy called 'Gono' as a man in his mid-thirties – probably his father - wrapped the brunette in his arms and tried to comfort him as he began to cry again, and Koryu felt strangely bereft at the scene. A girl with flowing brown hair had followed and was hugging the brunette too and wiping away any trace of tears on his elfin face.

"Ototou-chan, are you all right?" Kanan whispered as she stroked his little brother's fine hair. "Otousan and I were looking all over for you, then we heard you scream and…" She trailed off, the relief that washed over her was enough to make her cry, and her father patted her on the shoulder consolingly.

Their father smiled at them. "Daijoubo. I'm just glad that you're all right. Did you get hurt?" He asked his son.

Gono looked up, and raised his knee. "Nothing serious. I just got my knee scraped when I tripped while I was running away from the bear." He pointed at the scratch on his knee. It stung, but he was a big boy, he could tolerate that. A thought occurred to him and he tried to look behind his father. "Oh, Otousan! A boy saved me from the bear! He was incredible!" He had been able to distinguish the stranger's gender from the deep voice he used in talking to the bear.

He stood up from his father's arms and tried to look for his savior. His eyes landed on a set of prayer beads lying on the floor where his savior stood previously but there was no sign of him.

*^^*

"Oi!"

Koryu looked up from his sweeping when he heard a voice. His eyes landed on the green-eyed brunette he helped earlier and his eyes widened. He was preparing to run away but the boy reached him before he got the chance. He just stared at the boy that stood before him, heaving and trying to catch his breath. 

"Whew! I've been looking all over for you!" He wiped the sweat from his brow. "Oh, by the way, is this yours?" Gono held up the prayer beads he found earlier and thrust it to the blonde boy in front of him. The blonde nodded and took it. "Doumo." He uttered.

"Thank you for saving me earlier. If you hadn't come I probably would've been bear-food." Gono said, looking into his eyes.

Koryu almost gulped as those green orbs stared at him, so chaste but mysterious at the same time. For the first time in his life, he was speechless. "I…anou…" He was stuttering too. He cursed himself for being so vulnerable.

"It was nothing." He finally muttered.

"Boku wa Cho Gono. And you?" The green-eyed boy held out a hand.

Cho Gono. The name… 

"The name doesn't suit you." Koryu blurted out.

"Excuse me?"

"Forget it." Koryu shook his hand and something came over him. Warmth. It was as if warmth was spreading through his body and the source of it was Gono's hand. He shook his head and replied. "Koryu."

"Gono! It's time to go!" Kanan's voice reached Gono's ears and he bowed before Koryu apologetically. "Sumimasen, Koryu-san. But I have to go. It was very nice to meet you." He said, and ran over to where his sister was.

But before he exited the temple with his father and sister, he looked over his shoulder at Koryu. Their eyes met.

"Ja ne!" Gono smiled genuinely and waved at him, then he was gone.

Then, Koryu had the feeling that he was going to see that smile again in the near future.

^Owari^

[1] – When Sanzo was still a kid, a bear attacked the temple where he was staying and he made it go away by just looking at it and saying a few words. Kakkoi!

Waaaaaaiiiii!! Finished!! Please tell me what you think, onegai!! I'm still a little confused about Hakkai's past, in the series there was no mention of Hakkai's sister, or is there and I just missed it? Is Kanan really his sister? I think so, cause they look so much alike! Both are green-eyed brunettes! As far as I know, Sanzo is a year older than Hakkai. 

Please review!!


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